Special Teams Report Card: Week 4 Game at USC
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After a thrilling attempted comeback, as reacted to sourly by social media, from the Michigan State Spartans in their first Big Ten conference game against the University of Southern California, in which MSU fell short 45-31, the special teams played hard and played well.
Quarter by quarter, they continued to prove their worth, and even when they were dimmed, they still found places to shine, all beginning in the first quarter.
The First Quarter
- The MSU special teams played a smaller role in the first quarter at USC compared to their average output thus far in the season, but they still played as good as they realistically could.
- Martin Connington only had one opportunity to kick, being an extra point attempt that he made, and Ryan Eckley had only average punts in both distance and how far they were returned.
- Furthermore, on MSU's lone kickoff, the Trojans were able to make good use of their starting position from it, which became a common theme in the second quarter.
- Finally, Crishon McCray, who stepped in for the injured Alante Brown, had a few chances to return the ball, but no attempts were made that travelled past the 40-yard line.
The Second Quarter
- Connington continued to play well against the Trojans in the second quarter, landing one of his field goal attempts, missing a rough 56-yarder, to give the Spartans another three points.
- He also had another good kick-off, and when aligned with Eckley's week-to-week master-class in punting, the Trojans were starting within the 15 almost every possession.
- Unfortunately for MSU, the Trojans were able to get big plays quickly thereafter, and eradicated much of the excellent play from Eckley and Connington, but they did their part, and they did it well.
- As for returns, very little happened, and McCray ran the ball back very little, often having to settle for a touchback before heading into the half.
The Third Quarter
- Overall, the second half was much less exciting for the Spartans' special teams, where they played small roles and generally had less impact than they did in the first half.
- Connington, Eckley, and McCray were doing their part in the Spartans' comeback attempt on USC's home turf, but it fell short of the huge plays that would be needed for a victory.
- The most namely impact came from Connington, who began redeeming himself from his missed 56-yarder by nailing both of his PATs, but no kick-offs or returns managed to be huge to the final score.
The Fourth Quarter
- The special teams had little time to shine in the fourth quarter of their attempted comeback against USC, having Connington kick one PAT for another point before losing 45-31.
- They did have Connington kick multiple onside kicks, but none of them came up as a recovery, and left a bad taste in Connington's mouth regarding comebacks, encouraging him to work harder come another chance to steal a victory.
- McCray's returns also could have been huge in the failed comeback, but he opted for touchbacks most of the time, and when he did run he didn't get far.
In total, the Spartans' special teams provided good starts for the defense, decent starts for the offense, and seven points; even with their impact, they were unable to do enough.
Still, the rest of the season brings hope for the future of MSU, and their special teams are certainly a part of it. When time comes for them to execute under pressure, odds are in their favor that they will execute.
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Nathan Berry is a senior at NCCS and was raised a Michigan State Spartan fan. With a great interest in sports and writing, journalism is a great avenue to pursue both.